Called a wire protector, it not only protects the wire, but adds a very professional look to your jewelry. Wire protectors give movement and flexibility around the clasp, making it easier to clasp your jewelry for wearing.

We here at WUB especially love to use them for multi-strand creations, letting the strands move freely and making them less likely to twist together. The picture below shows a two-strand creation in progress. The wire protectors also give an added sense of security when attaching them to an open jump ring – no more worrying that the strand might pull through a small gap!

Wire protectors have a little channel or sort of a “tube” in them so that you can thread your flexible stranded wire (such as 49-strand Soft Flex) through them. This is how you use it:

1. Thread a crimp tube onto your wire
2. Thread the wire through the wire protector
3. Thread the wire back through the crimp tube.
4. Pull the wire so that you can slide the crimp up snug to the last bead
5. Secure the crimp

We hope you find these wire protectors as fabulous as we do! Know of other ways to use wire protectors? Leave us a comment, we would love to hear!

We’ve recently sent out a newsletter announcing our 25% Off Sale on the Storage Organizers, and we thought you’d like to see what goes on behind the scenes when we carefully develop these newsletters for you!

Everything is an Adventure around Wired Up Beads. We manage to have fun even when working hard. We’d thought we’d share the fun.

Introducing:

Connie Lindley & Anne Doherty

Little did we know our shy, sweet, and quiet Connie was such a great little actress! She had us rolling on the floor! When we viewed these pictures… Well, to quote Connie: “I didn’t know my mouth could do that!”

Poor Anne tried to get in character, but couldn’t hold off a smile while standing next to Connie’s Broadway performance!

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We’re no Mary Poppins, but fun we shall have.

The photo shoot of conquering our mess was easy for our eternally smiling Anne.

Connie continued her debut on Broadway by literally flipping her frown upside down!

All WUB Tales end happily ever after; let us help ensure yours do too.

So don’t let any areas of mass discombobulation and chaos get you down. Feel free to give us a call at (817)421-3030 — We are here to help, advise, and lend moral support.

Meet Jonathon, the new graphics designer of Wired Up Beads.  He had never made jewelry before he joined the Wired Up Beads Staff in mid December.  When asked how he developed this design, Jonathon asked me if I had ever picked a petal off a rose and noticed how it looks like a heart.  Jonathon has brought a lot of creative inspiration to Wired Up Beads and a new appreciation for things that we might at times overlook. So here’s a little challenge.  This weekend, stop and “smell the roses.”  See what inspiration you can find as you go about your normal routine. We would love to hear what inspires you.

Before I explain about how Ginny is breakin’ our hearts, we wrote a new Tumbling Tips Tutorial today here at WUB.  Ginny came up with the first tip that we listed–we thought that it was a jewel! Ginny’s tip is:

“Repurpose a necklace, bracelet, or earrings you don’t wear anymore – Take it apart and tumble the solid metal pieces to reuse for brand-new parts!”

Ginny happened to be wearing a bracelet that was heavy with Bail Silver beads and spacers.  She said that the bracelet was one of the first that she ever made with her lampwork beads.  It was made back when the price of silver was in the $7.00 range, so she loaded it with sterling.  Oh, and by the way, Ginny’s newbie beads are unlike any other newbie I’ve seen before.  Now, imagine the entire WUB staff drooling over her “newbie” bracelet.

Then, Ginny she that she hated to leave all that silver on one of her “newbie” bracelets.  She said that she planned to take it apart, tumble all the silver to make it look new, and remake it into several new pieces of jewelry.  In response to this, the entire WUB staff groans.

So Ginny, I’m beggin’ you please!  Save that bracelet.  We photographed it to share with all our WUBbly friends.  Don’t you think it’s beautiful?  Maybe if we band together, we can save the bracelet.

Want to see the New Tumbler Tips?  Click Here

A Little Bird Told Me Not to Spend Too Much!

This is Cooper.  He resided at the tent next to where I was teaching.  He hung out with me a little while I was demoing the new Wubbers Square Mandrel Pliers.  He thought that my glasses were pretty cool!

This is Gerardo, a vendor that was a couple of tents down.  He was showing off his hatband that he made from rocks that he mined.  Below are some of the bigger rocks that he was selling–he said that they moved them in with a fork lift.

The rocks  were magnificent!  Well, I am off today to the Windmill Inn and I hope that it warms up a bit so that I can stop at the Best Bead Show after that.  I have been gone for over two weeks now, and am getting a bit homesick.  I’m ready to hug our WUBbly staff for all the hard work that they have done while I’ve been gone.  Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

The cuffs on the left were made from metal that was run through a rolling mill with a heavily patterned plate.  Then we used a steel die and the hydraulic press to cut out the cuff form.  After that, we used the Synclastic Bracelet forming tools to shape the cuff.

I think that my favorite of the cuffs to make was the one on the right that looks like folded fabric.  Peter demonstrated how to make this type of cuff using a free form synclastic bracelet tool.  I am pretty sure that the reason I like this free form technique is that the results are different every time.  In other words, there are a lot of surprises!  Here are some photos of the process.

Peter is fitting the strip of copper onto a urethane form.

Ready for the pressure.

Starting to add some pressure!

The metal is starting to move.

The free formed cuff.

We learned how to make a silhouette die by sawing out a shape in a piece of acrylic sheet.  To be able to get a deeper design, we cut a second shape like the first, only with a little bit smaller opening.  The copper shape shows the result of about 10 tons of pressure on a piece of metal placed across the top of the hole on the die.

This photo shows some shapes that were make using  a brass high pressure non-conforming die.  The two shapes are identical, so once I cut them out, they can be soldered together to form a bead.

Tomorrow, I am heading to Tucson.  Stayed tuned for updates from the Gem and Mineral shows.  I will be teaching Monday through Thursday at the Electric Park, so come by and say hello.  I would love to see you there!

And wow!  Can Charles ever swing a hammer!  You wouldn’t believe the different forms that he could make with what he called the “star” fold.  It was a great demonstration of how just 6 carefully placed folds on a square of copper could result in so many different shapes.  Needless to say, I am really looking forward to day two and am completely hooked on fold forming!

Both Sides of the Fence

VivaLaPepa-

What can I really say about us? Judy is far more eloquent when writing than I am. So pardon the brevity in which I write.

In the few years we’ve known each other we’ve become this quasi-artistic duo. We are the Keepers of the Gate.

Passed through several times a day, by ourselves and our dogs alike. My Jack Russell Terrier, Beauregard, and Cairn Terrier, Allegra, and Judy’s daughter’s Schnauzer, Micky traipse back and forth like it’s an open border, coming and going at their canine whim… Yes they steal and share each other’s toys; never mind chasing the odd brace of duck that land in our respective pools, but that is another blog. For now I’ll leave it to Judy to tell you the story of our meeting.

Panda-

I was introduced to Wired Up Beads via a long list of coincidences.

Victoria and I met in late 2005 after we became next-door neighbors. After Hurricane Katrina visited my home in New Orleans, my husband and I were forced to move and my life changed permanently.

We moved to Colleyville to be near our oldest daughter and our first grandchild.  Little did I know that where we were moving to was right next door to the neighborhood whims—“cough” genius. Our next-door neighbor played several practical jokes on us; of course we learned to love his sense of humor, in time.

Then!

We met his flamboyant, Argentine wife. Her hair was the color of… No. Her hair reminded me of… No! Her hair can only be described as “RED!” (Said loudly)

We knew almost instantly that she was an artist.  She spoke… oddly, the Kings English. She had traveled the world much as we had and had strong opinions that she loved to discuss over dinner and a glass of Malbec.

We learned that she had a “studio” in her backyard, which created the idea that she was the female Michelangelo of Colleyville and we were truly impressed!

Then… Victoria tried to encourage me to take up any number of artistic hobbies but I strongly insisted that I had no creative talent. It took time but she finally began planning a found objects project that involved a duck and a tennis racquet. Well, needless to say I was intrigued. One day I’ll tell you where that particular project went!

We discovered that Victoria and I had a great deal in common.  You see our husbands were airline pilots, retired military officers, and loved golf! Big Surprise on that last one…  Victoria and I both worked at Travis Air Force Base in California. Victoria was a flight attendant and accompanied soldiers to and from Vietnam in the early 1970’s.  I was working for Pacific Telephone greeting the soldiers as they arrived home, during the same time.  I believe that we were often both in the large terminal but we were too interested in the handsome heroes surrounding us, then with meeting other young women. I wonder if we actually saw each other and never noticed…

Anyway, that was the beginning of our friendship.  Did I mention the beautiful gate between our two yards? (My husband thought it was the worst idea ever, but years later and we’re all still great friends. That showed him!) It opened our lives to each other and it has changed my life. Now I can’t help but join Victoria on her artistic escapades!

She taught me layered paper art, metalworking and the art of beading (Did I admit that? No; no… Victoria do NOT read this! Oh boy, I’ll never hear the end of it…) and sent me on the trip of a lifetime.  She has become my muse.  Together we registered for classes at University of North Texas and enrolled in the Studio Arts Program with a concentration in Metalsmithing.

It was Victoria that introduced me to Wired Up Beads. One stroll into the shop and that was that, I was hooked. We made friends with Wubbers and their creator, Patti, and all who work for her.  We are thrilled to be considered a part of their team and to be constantly learning new and fantastic art forms.

These are the pieces that we made during the last two days.  The earrings are a wonderfully unique design that Ronda taught us–the ear wire is attached to the decorated 24-gauge Argentium Silver disc.  These earrings are light and comfortable, and the Argentium gleams clear across the room.  The triple stack ring is made from three 12-gauge wire rings that we fused together.  When I get home, I hope to add some granulation.

The large bead in front is my favorite.  It is a lentil bead that we made from two 24-gauge Argentium Silver discs that were about 1.25 inches in diameter.  I used my new Small Wubbers Square Mandrel Pliers to make the surface decorations, and then added some granulation to add sparkle and pizazz to the bead.

Tomorrow, I am starting a two-day fold forming class with Charles Lewton Brain.  He authored the book Foldforming.  I can’t wait to see what we learn!  I will keep you all posted and will hopefully have more show and tell in a couple of days.